Improvement in railroad-car seats



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. WHEELER.

Sleeping C'arSeaft.

No. 25,499. Patented Sept- 20', 1859.

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Sleeping Car Seat. No. 25,499.- Patented Sept. 20, 1859.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 5.

E. WHEELER.

Sleeping Car Seat. No. 25,499. Patented Sept. 20, 1959.

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' WZJZS'SS fnvaniori UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELI WVHEELER, OF ELHIRA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR SEATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,499, dated September 20, 18:39.

Figure 1 is an end view of a sleeping-car seat having my improvements applied to it. Fig. 2 is a section of the seat, taken in a line parallel with the side of the car. This view shows the seat as used in the day-time. Fig. 3 is a similar section, showing the seat as used at night.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

.Before stating the nature of my invention I deem it proper to remark that experience has taught me that it is necessary, in order to ren der practicable the converting of railroad-cars into sleeping-saloons which will furnish every four passengers with two separate inclosed berths, that the car throughout must first be made as near permanent as possible; second, that it must be as open as possible in the daytime, and as nearly closed into apartments at night as can be, while a free circulation of air or perfect ventilation is maintained; and, lastly,

thatany changes or transformations inconverting from seats to couches must be capable of being done in an instant, having the pillows and blankets at hand.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of the back of the seat, when hinged at its lower edge and left loose at its. upper edge, with the bottom of the seat when it is hinged at its front edge and left loose at its rear edge, and with the stationary box or receptacle formed under the bottom, whereby the space existing between each pair of seats can be filled up by simply turning the bottoms toward each other until they become inverted, and whereby the blankets and pillows contained in the box are exposed to view, so as to be conveniently handled, and whereby, after the blankets, &c.', are withdrawn and a receptacle provided for valuables, by simply turning down the back of the seatfrom a horizontal position the vacancy formed by the inverting of the bottom can be filled, and thus a complete level lower couch suitable for two persons formed, and the valuables which are placed in the box so confined that they cannot be disturbed without lifting the heads of the sleepers far enough to raise the back to nearly a vertical position. Thus hingiug the bottoms and backs of the seats affords facilities for upbolstering the opposite sides in a manner that one side shall present for day use the ordinary finish of car-seats, while the other may have a section of a mattress formed on it, and thus at;

night,whenadjustethform a bed that will give the same case and comfort to the sleeper as would be enjoyed in any other place on an ordinary mattress-bed.

My invention consists, second, in the peculiar construction of thepartitions, in combination with the outer sliding panel and inner sliding panel or blind, whereby the partitions which form the frame-work or stiles are permanent, while the panels are movable, the outer panels being made to rise up and fasten by spring-catches or other suitable device, and when raised serving as a support for an upper berth and as head and foot boards to separate the couches occupied by every four passengers, and allowing free ventilation to the lower berths at night, and the inner panel or blind being made to slide down at night, so as to admit a free circulation of air above the upper couches, and, like the outer panels, serve the office of head and foot boards. The said inner and outer panels, owing to their capability of being adjusted, allow in the daytime a perfect ventilation of the car throughout to nearly the same extent as is obtained when no partitions are used.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I divide an ordinary passenger-car, A, on each side of the aisle by permanent partitions B B, about six feet apart. The section a of the panel of these partitions is made fast and not capable of sliding, while the section b is made capable of sliding up and down in the framing of the partition. It will be seen that the panels a I) only extend up a short distance beyond the upper edge of the backs of the seats, and that a perfect circulation of air is allowed above the heads of the passengers in the day-time. From the top of each of the panels are adjusted,-as shown in Figs. 1 and stationary sections of panels two narrow grooved uprights, c 0, project and attach to the top of the car. Between each pair of these up rights I arrange a blind or panel, C, which is about half the length of the uprights. This blind slides freely up and down the grooves of the uprights, and when elevated to the top of the car it allows a circulation of air over the heads of the passengers. When lowered so as to rest on the panel a it allows a free circulation of air above the upper berths, as will be presently described.

The seats 0 O are ranged along the sides of these partitions, facing each other, in pairs. The bottoms G of the seat are arranged over concave transverse supports or boxes 0 c in a manner to cover the same, and are pivoted by their forward edges to the chair-frame and to the sides of the car, as shown at d d. The rear edges of the bottoms of the seats are left loose. By thus attaching the bottoms of the seats, and having them of a proper width, the

space existing between each pair of seats can be filled up by simply turning the bottoms of the seats toward each other until they become inverted, as shown in Fig. 3. The bed-covering and pillows also will be exposed to view, so as to be conveniently removed from the box or concave supports. When the bottoms of the seats are thus turned over they are supported by a cleat, c, and the hinged section of foot-board f, which latter is turned up from a horizontal to a vertical position, as illustrated in Figs.2 and 3. The backs D D of the seats are pivoted at their lower edge to the sides of the car and to the chair-frame, as shown at g g. The upper edge of the back is left loose. By thus arranging the backs the box irom which the bedclothes were removed, and into which valuables can be placed for safe-keeping while the owners are sleeping, is closed up and the spaces made vacant by the inverting of the bottoms filled, and thus a level comibrtable lower couch for two persons formed with the greatest facility and ease.

Eis a shelf for the reception,during the dayiinlif, of the upper portable beds or mattresses,

The upper couches are formed in the following manner: The sliding sections 1) b of the 3, to a suitable distance, where they are supported by springs or catches It h. The mattresses are now removed from the shelf and one placed on the supporting-brackets t" t: and the other on similar spring-brackets, fj, of the sliding panels. By this method an upper couch between each pair of seats, suitable for two passengers, is formed. The upper berths being thus formed, the blinds or panels 0 O are lowered, so as to form head and foot boards and form ventilating-passages 7c k, which allow a free circulation of air over the upper berths. Similar foot-boards and ventilation-rmssagcs, k k, are formed by the before-described adjustment given to the panels I) b.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The arrangement of box-formed supports 0 c, cushioned seat-bottoms C and cushioned seat-backs D D of a pair of car-seats, in the manner herein specified, whereby when the bottoms of the seats are turned over to fill up the space between the seats the bed-cloth- I ing contained in the box will be exposed, so as to be readily removed, and then when the backs are turned down to fill the place occupied by the bottoms the said boxes will be closed up and a continuous bed formed from one back edge to the other of the seat, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The short open stationary partitions B B, in combination with sliding panels I) b, which, when elevated, serve as head and foot boards and allow ventilation under and above the berth during night-time, and when lowered during day-time afford more room to the upper portion of the body of passengers as they pass through the aisle of the car, substantially as set forth.

3. The short sliding closed blinds O C, arranged to operate as described, and serve as foot and head boards, and allowing ventilation above and below the upper berth, in combination with the upper berths, E, and partitions 0 0, substantially as set forth.

ELI WHEELER.

Witnesses:

Geo. S. DAVIS, SERENA HICKOK. 

